Topic: Current Events

[6pairsofshoes]

I made the mistake of reading more articles about the U.S. in the NY Times this morning.  It filled me with despair.  How do we get out of this?

I should know better.  Best stick to Wordle.

[goldshirt*9]

ATM the western world is all going to pots

[6pairsofshoes]

When Bush the lesser was President and I was in the UK, I felt the need to distance myself from his policies to any locals that I encountered.  Now, I just want to leave the U.S. in hopes that this will blow over.  It's hard to wrap my brain around the idea that everyday Americans supported these fascists.  But they VOTED for them.  And that turns my stomach.

My Wordle skills are improving by the day.  I can only read one or two articles in the NYT before I have to escape.

[goldshirt*9]

Well Trump has officially turned into a Bond villain (if you believe everything the news media state ?),
Ernst Stavro Blofeld with a wig 
God help the west, which is only to the west coast of Ireland and then "there be Dragons"

[6pairsofshoes]

Every day brings a fresh outrage.  The way he is treating the Ukrainians is obscene.  God help us.  and don't get me started on his plan to relocate the Palestinians so he can turn the coast of Gaza into a Riviera.  I'm reminded of this song by Randy Newman.

[goldshirt*9]

 

[6pairsofshoes]

In California, if the governor or the mayor sucks at their job, we can gather petitions and recall the official, spurring a special election.  Sadly, there's no such ability for the President.  All I can hope for is that in two years, the Republicans lose both houses of Congress.

[6pairsofshoes]

Trump just referred to himself as King.  He's drunk with power and dangerous.  Give me Charles any day of the week.  At least he makes good crackers.

It's only been a month and the havoc he's created has spurred numerous lawsuits.  Tesla stock is tanking, discounts are being offered for those ridiculous trucks.  Sadly, the Nazi heading DOGE won't go back to Africa, as we'd prefer, but he can strut around sieg heiling for all he's worth and his money will insulate him from any consequences.

[6pairsofshoes]

on a lighter note:
Opossum in Omaha Nebraska survives consuming an entire chocolate cake from Costco.
https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-opossum-recovering-after-eating-chocolate-cake/63834068

[goldshirt*9]

A lot of naughty language here but Pie on Trump.

Spoiler (hover to show)

[christ]

And not to be out done by the big orange baby, the UK government - with breathtaking technological illiteracy - make demands on Apple (and others?) that result in them being told to golly right off:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj54eq4vejo

... and as a result all users' data is* massively less secure, in order that the government can snoop freely wherever they wish. The bit I particularly like is that the law allows the government to threaten Apple with jail if it tells its users that they have been shafted.

What with this and the stupidity and ignorance of the EU leading to USB-C being mandatory for the rest of time, we live in very strange times.

* I am not a "data are" person.

[6pairsofshoes]

Thanks, goldie.  I subscribe to the Jonathan Pye videos on youtube so I watched that earlier today.  I was amused by his salty language that seemed entirely appropriate given the outrages that have been happening at an alarmingly fast rate.

And chris, I am simply filled with despair at the damage he and his minions (including that ignorant twit VP of his) have been doing to our global alliances.  A majority of Americans don't approve of any of this. Trump's poll numbers are tanking.  Now if only our GOP dominated legislature would grow a spine, but I fear that's hoping for too much. 

[goldshirt*9]

A
What with this and the stupidity and ignorance of the EU leading to USB-C being mandatory for the rest of time, we live in very strange times.

Please elaborate on this ?

[smokester]

And not to be out done by the big orange baby, the UK government - with breathtaking technological illiteracy - make demands on Apple (and others?) that result in them being told to golly right off:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj54eq4vejo

... and as a result all users' data is* massively less secure, in order that the government can snoop freely wherever they wish. The bit I particularly like is that the law allows the government to threaten Apple with jail if it tells its users that they have been shafted.

What with this and the stupidity and ignorance of the EU leading to USB-C being mandatory for the rest of time, we live in very strange times.

* I am not a "data are" person.

Please elaborate on this ?

The EU told Apple to get rid of their stupid Lightning connector as no one other than iPhone users could lend them a charging lead when their stupid batteries ran out.

I love winding up the apple guy!

[christ]

The EU told Apple to get rid of their stupid Lightning connector as no one other than iPhone users could lend them a charging lead when their stupid batteries ran out.

I love winding up the apple guy!

Getting rid of lightning was a spiteful - and stupid - thing to do, but that isn't what bothers me. What bothers me is that the EU bureaucrats have mandated that USB-C is used in perpetuity, when anyone with any sense knows that it will be obsolete in 5 years, and positively historic in 10: theoretically everyone that sells in the EU will be still building into their kit in 50 years. Like Wintel and the serial port. This is madness.

I think Apple should have kept the lightning port and stopped selling in the EU.

(Side note - USB-C is a mad melange of standards: instead of making sure that everything is interoperable, USB-C makes it impossible to know what is or isn't interoperable. The connector is standard, but the protocols aren't, meaning that no-one can ever be sure when they connect two items using a USB-C cable which functions - if any - will work, and to what extent)

Lawmakers should stay out of technology. I understand that winding up the Apple guy is a widespread pastime, but no-one that doesn't use Apple cared that Apple used lightning, and everyone that used lightning had no interest in USB-C, so the law actually addressed a problem that didn't exist, and "solved" it by making things a hundred times worse. Genius.